The SoapBoxers

I think we all remember the time from our childhood playing games with that one kid who changes the rules in games. You’d be playing 4 man baseball and while your ghost runners could only take one base at a time, all of the sudden -when it suited him the most- he’d say his ghost runner was able to score from 2nd on a single. Or that game of tag would suddenly become freeze tag because he didn’t want to be “it” when you tagged him. That’s not unlike what’s going on right now with voting rules across multiple states.

A little pertinent history lesson: Right now with the US Electoral College system, the individual citizen doesn’t truly, technically, vote for the president. When you vote, you are, more or less, telling your state’s electors who you want to vote for president, and they in turn cast the actual votes that are given.  Since 1964 the United States has had 538 electors, with 270 of them being required to win the presidency (giving a winner with exactly 270 votes a 50.2% share of the vote). The theory is that in a Republic where states’ power is important, even a small population state can have an important outcome.

Currently, in 48 states, any presidential candidate winning the largest share of the votes simply gets all of that states electoral votes – a “winner take all” system. The 2 remaining states – Nebraska and Maine – essentially go by congressional district to determine who gets the individual elector’s votes with the remaining 2 elector votes in each state being decided by the overall popular vote of the state. It’s actually a fairly convoluted system that needs multiple constitutional amendments and stacks of state laws to function “correctly.” It’s not exactly a popular system, either, in both 2001 and 2004 the majority of Americans in a Gallup poll supported eliminating the electoral college system and going with a pure popular vote system.

Ok, got all that? If you find it interesting at all, there are many, many books and articles on it. As I said, only 2 states don’t use the winner-take-all system where the winner of that state’s popular vote gets all the electoral votes. In fact, not using that system is actually a fairly recent change. Maine moved away from it in 1972, and Nebraska in 1992 (gee, both election years. How strange). I’m not here to argue about which method is better, merely to point out that continuity in rules is fair. I personally think either all states should use the same method.

After the last presidential election, surely our most partisan and bitter election, Republicans in Pennsylvania decided that they didn’t really like ALL of their state’s 21 electors voting for who won the popular vote. Barack Obama won 54% of the popular vote yet he got every last one of those 21 electoral votes. The GOP there realized that by moving away from an all-or-nothing system when most states were not moving away from that system they are essentially giving votes to any Republican candidate. Pennsylvania would join Nebraska and Maine, making it 47 states that used one system and 3 states that used another.

But wait! Nebraska actually saw a vote for Obama in 2008. That’s rather astonishing for such a right-leaning state; Nebraska has only voted Democrat in 7 of the last 36 elections. But Republicans there are very aware that in such a partisan atmosphere every last vote counts, especially when there are only 538 votes. They’re actually looking to reverse their 1992 decision to leave the winner-take-all system. They want back in to get their one vote back.  Hmmm, put in the simplest of terms this really seems like the people in power are changing the rules to make it easier for their side to win. Imagine if where you worked suddenly everyone had to start paying for their own electricity used, but your boss turned around and said that since he’s in charge, he only has to pay 50%. You’d be pretty ticked off, huh?

The election tinkering actually doesn’t stop there. 14 states are looking at changing voting rules, ranging from cutting the time allowed for early voting, to requiring state-issued ID cards, to enacting laws that forbid anyone with a criminal history to vote – people who have justly served their time and are once again tax paying citizens. As a general rule, early voting has favored democrats. In fact, on election day in 2008, my current home state of North Carolina actually voted in majority for John McCain, but so many people used early voting to vote for Barack Obama that he won the election here – the first time in decades that North Carolina went blue. This isn’t a trend isolated to this state either. Demographic data shows that in almost every single state early voting came out for Obama, often with a wide margin.

In addition, early voting featured a much larger percentage of minorities than the overall voting population as a whole, and it is widely known that on average minorities vote Democrat. While I’m in favor of eliminating voting fraud – the usual excuse of those looking to implement state-issued voter IDs – fraudulent voting by individuals is less than .0001% of all voters.

To put that in practical terms, voting fraud is quite literally a one-in-a-million thing. Any given district is more likely to experience a mass shooting spree than have people try to cheat the voting system. It has been reported by multiple news organizations (almost any of the links above) that these new voting changes will disenfranchise 5 million voters. But hey, it’s worth it if we screw the 4,999,995 people voting to get those 5 cheaters, right? Well, that’s what the Republicans will probably try to sell you to your face, while in reality it’s done in the name of reducing the chances of Democrats winning. 

It’s ironic that a nation so bent on shedding light in other countries’ fair elections is so shady under its own surface. Remember that kid who would use the Monopoly board game house rule of getting money for landing on free parking when he landed on it, but then point out that’s just a house rule and say you got nothing when you landed on it? Yeah. That’s your modern Republicans.

If you ever take time to notice my mug shot with the articles (I hope you don’t spend TOO much time) you can’t miss the ball cap for my alma mater and favorite team. The University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.

So to celebrate my 100th article on this site, I am going to write about my gameday in Lincoln to open the Big 10 Conference at home, and a player that ALL of you need to know about…if you don’t know already.

First off, this past weekend in Lincoln was a big day. For you non-husker types – – every day that is a football game on the schedule is a big deal. The downtown Lincoln area is packed with a couple hundred thousand people – many who travel from well out of state and far off lands – – known as wherever the visiting team is from.

This Saturday was special. It was the first home Big 10 Conference game for Nebraska. Excitement was in the air. The forecast was for wind and rain. Poncho sales were brisk. I had all the good intentions to provide live “Tweets” from the tailgate and the game for the matter. Unfortunately for me, Verizon, who happens to be the “official” phone of the Huskers somehow cannot provide cell phone service that is worth a darn anywhere near the stadium (and coincidentally worse IN the stadium) on a game day, so no live updates on game day.

Our tailgate was our largest ever, we had the neighbors in the parking lot who bring their mobile brick pizza oven share in the fun to have one seriously large combined tailgate. It was borderline out of control at times, and we were over-run with people as kick off neared. We ran out of beverages well before planned. A thirsty tailgate party is not necessarily a happy tailgate party. …but no uprisings occurred for us on South Stadium drive.

The game was an electric atmosphere. The Buckeyes got off to an early lead, milking half of the first quarter away. The teams traded blows, in the first half Nebraska was not the better team and found themselves in a large hole to start the 2nd half. They promptly got behind by yet another touchdown to trail 27-6 and the outlook for the Cornhuskers seemed bleak.

The defense made a couple of big plays. The Ohio State quarterback, Braxton Miller got injured, the momentum had swung. The crowd was back in it. The defense was playing with more and more confidence and reckless abandon. The offensive line was starting to make better blocks. The passing game was clicking and the running game was churning out on a gutsy performance in the 4th quarter on the legs of a guy wearing #22.

Too many times fans (me included) get too caught up in the wins and losses on the field. Sports provide a lot of excitement for those of us who are fans. At the end of the day we need to remember and reflect that the players that we idolize and that we emmulate and root for are people just like you and me. This is true weather you are talking professional sports or college sports. At the end of the day, there are bigger things than wins and losses on the field of play. But sometimes a player is special both on and off the field, and one Nebraska player deserves special mention in my mind.

For those who have watched or follow Nebraska you know all about Rex Burkhead. He played quite a bit as a true freshman, he was an integral part of the squad last year.

Burkhead is a fan favorite. He is not the biggest guy, not the fastest guy, my guess is if you met him on the street you likely wouldn’t peg him as a Division I football player.

Husker Faithful love this guy. He is scrappy, always play hard, he runs tough. He hands the ball to the official when he scores touchdowns. He smiles alot. He is humble and softspoken in front of the press.

What’s not to like?

There is a lot more to like than most of you know.

Recently Randy York who writes for Huskers.com wrote an insightful article on Rex Burkhead. I would suggest you read it by following this link, and I would encourage you to share it with your friends. 

 I know there are hundreds of similar stories on many college campuses and pro sports towns around the country. The problem is we hear about all the times players get in trouble, or they play poorly, or they say something to the media that they might regret later.

I vividly remember Charles Barkley saying that “I am not a role model” on Nike commercials in my much younger days.

My son is a huge Rex Burkhead fan – mainly because he is 5 1/2 years old and has a Burkhead jersey (#22) . But after reading York’s article I am going continue and try to raise my son in a way so he might grow up to be like Rex…not as a football player, but as a person.

I normally don’t ask people who read my article to forward it on, but in this case I urge you to do so. Spread the story of a nice young college athlete, it doesn’t matter if you are a Nebraska fan or not, but we should all aspire follow the example set for by Rex Burkhead.

Sorry Chuck. I’ll take my chances with guys like number twenty two for the scarlet and cream. He IS a role model.

Until next Time – – – Stay classy Plano Texas!

I don’t know about you, but fall is my favorite season. Sure there is a lot of work to do around the house, getting ready for winter and cleaning up mostly. Raking leaves out in bright sun shine with a good breeze is invigorating. Cutting back the perennials, pulling up the annuals and just looking up at the majesty of the trees establishes the boundary between summer and winter. The squirrels and rabbits dodge about gathering what they can for the days to come, and the kids rejoice in spreading the leaves that you have so carefully piled. This is not a one day effort. Every couple of days there is a new vista and more work. First the Ashes drop their bright yellow leaves, then the aspens and maples drop orange, yellows and reds, and finally the mighty oaks add their dazzling array of color to the mix.

The smells and sounds of the season are so rich. The maple leaves have the strong aroma of whisky barrels, the pines add their heady tar, and the final harvest of vegetables are a medley of smells. There is always at least one person in the neighborhood with an open pit fire going to add the feel of a campout. Everyone is out, talking about the year, talking about sports, worrying about the coming weather. When you have had enough (you are never truly done), you can head inside for more evidence of change.

There are football games, baseball games and cooking. Every house I enter this time of year is filled with the smells of wondrous foods. Some are canning for the winter, others are making pies, cookies, tailgate snacks, or other goodies. It is a good thing there is so much work to do, or we would all pack on extra pounds. We relish these days because we know that they are few. Soon, the World Series will be over, Halloween will be upon us, cold and rainy weather will dampen our spirits. We will still have football, good food and camaraderie to keep us going, at least through January. But for now, this is good season.

“The problem with money,” Lawrence Peters opined, “is that the ability to buy anything you want takes away the thrill of the chase.”

The others at the table nodded their agreement. None of them had yet reached forty-five years of age, and all of them had wealth measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars and growing steadily with each passing year.

Nate Bolton took a long sip of his Irish coffee before responding. “You know what I enjoyed as a kid? A treasure hunt. It’s too bad they don’t have treasure hunts for adults.”

Barry Julian snorted. “And what would the prize be? A car? A house? Some cash? That doesn’t seem like much incentive.”

“I could be the prize,” came a voice from behind them. Cheryl set down fresh cups of coffee and cleared away the empty ones. The four men gazed at her as they tried to absorb what she had said.

Marc Billups was the first to recover his composure. “What, exactly, are you proposing?”

Within an hour, the idea had been fleshed out. The young waitress would become a pawn in their game. The goal would be to hide her somewhere within the continental United States. One of the four men would pick a location, stash Cheryl there, and develop a treasure hunt that would lead the other three to the location. If everyone was stumped by a particular clue, the answer would be revealed one week after the clue had been given. The first to arrive at the destination would get three weeks alone in Honolulu with Cheryl.

For her part, Cheryl would be well compensated. There was a $250,000 signing bonus just for agreeing to the deal, and a salary of $1 million per year, deposited into her account in monthly installments. Her hideouts would be designed to be very comfortable – a luxurious bed, fully stocked kitchen, and cable TV among the amenities. The only limitation was her contact with the outside world. Cheryl would be forced to remain within her hiding spot, and she would only be able to communicate with the organizer of that particular game – to avoid her tipping off any of the players.

Cheryl would get six weeks in Hawaii at the conclusion of each game. The winner would leave after three weeks, setting up the next game.

Cheryl made it very clear – she was no prostitute. She was being paid for her companionship and for her time in isolation as the game’s prize. The four men readily agreed with her.

A month later, the game was ready to begin. Cheryl had been sequestered in a hidden location, and Nate Bolton was ready to kick off the great treasure hunt.

“OK, guys. The first clue is –“

And he promptly dropped dead.

 This is the first story in a new series.  New chapters will be added periodically (and I’ll include a table of contents once there is more than one chapter).  Where is Cheryl – and how long will it take the guys to find her, now that Nate isn’t around?

Its Playoff time both in politics and baseball, are you paying attention?

The weather is beginning to cool, the leaves are falling, the MLB playoff games are occupying the networks (irritating my wife) and the political ads and debates have begun (again, irritating my wife).

Yes, it’s fall in the United States and we have just over one year until we vote for the new president of the United States. The Conservatives want to unseat Barack Obama making him a one term president and the Liberals are chanting four more years.

I believe that Obama has a really good shot at winning this election. I think he will definitely follow in George W Bush’s footsteps and serve the two terms that he is eligible for. After all, why wouldn’t he be elected? Think of all the successes his regime, I mean his administration has had:

• A drowning and failing economy
• Largest Federal deficit ever (2008 was $458 Billion while 2011 $1,645 Billion)
• Billions of dollars given to a companies like Solyndra that he believed were “exemplary” when they were really crooked and destined for bankruptcy. The emails WILL be released and will tell all.
• The closing (ok, actually not closing) of Gitmo
• The passing of the unaffordable Obamacarewhich has yet to be reviewed by the Supreme Court for its Constitutionality.
• Trying Gitmo detainees in civilian US Courts rather than the military courts
• Joe Biden
• Iran is refining plutonium and readying to build a nuclear device. So much for Barack’s diplomacy that he felt would work. We delayed and missed the chance to destroy this facility.
• Did I mention Joe Biden?
• He promised that the $787 Billion Stimulus would keep unemployment below 8%
• Eric Holder accused of lying about Operation Fast and Furious, special counsel requested to investigate
• Obama accusing Cambridge police of acting stupidly…really? You know what about officer safety?
• Jimmy Hoffa while introducing Obama speaks of Republicans and says that they need to “take these sons of bitches out”. Obama didn’t correct him?

There has definitely been a lot of hope and change over the last couple of years. I see the positive spin that Obama has put on things. I see that he has eliminated pork in bills, merged the gap between conservatives and liberals, gotten away from the unions and the party lines. Hope and change is abounding and who wouldn’t want four more years of this? The experience that Obama has in dealing with budgets, payroll, etc…those are priceless. His leadership has certainly kept a short leash on Joe Biden and he’s done an excellent job of foregoing expensive and unnecessary parties at the White House. He started with the most expensive inauguration party in history and hasn’t stopped.

My question is why would anyone want an experienced business man like Mitt Romney to try and get a handle on the economy? He has had four years of political experience serving as the Massachusetts Governor (enough to understand politics but not be an insider). Nahhh, why would we want an effective President?

What about Herman Cain? Cain worked at several large organizations such as Coca Cola, Pillsbury, Burger King and Godfather’s Pizza. He later worked for the National Restaurant Association (no, not THAT NRA) and served on the Board of Directors at the Federal Reserve. What is the 9-9-9 plan anyway? Again, someone with fresh ideas that isn’t an insider and isn’t bought and paid for by the unions.

Maybe you’re right, maybe we should stick with the “hope and change” that someone elected in 2008 and forget changing things. Well, maybe we could change a few things, like the debt, the tax code, the new mandatory health insurance plan, Joe Biden, pork bills, lobbyists. Then again maybe I’m nuts!

What are you going to do in the Primaries? The first primary is (as of now scheduled for January 21^st) is just a few months away, who will you be voting for? Who has your eye for now? Please tell me it isn’t Barack Obama. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Squeaky…

Anyone but Obama 2012

This sticker can be found at the following website:

http://www.zazzle.com/anyone_else_2012_bumper_sticker-128098147264477395

With everyone, including Barack Obama, painting the sitting president as an underdog, I feel compelled to suggest that everyone is wrong. In fact, the Republicans can’t win – and here’s a candidate-by-candidate breakdown of why they will fail.

Sarah Palin – The rest of this article is intended to be taken as satire, but my words about Palin are my true beliefs.  I feel that she does not really want to be the president.  I think that she craves publicity, money, and power.  You can get this from the presidency, but you can also get it from the sidelines – and with far fewer restrictions on your actions.  You can even argue that a non-politician can influence voting patterns more than a president.  Who has done more the shape the ideology of the current Republican party  – George W. Bush or Rush Limbaugh?  I think Palin will continue to write books and continue to pop up on the TV – and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with her sliding into that role.  I don’t, however, see her as a serious presidential candidate.

Ronald Reagan – He’s dead and has already served two terms as president.  In spite of these obstacles, it seems that there are some in the party who feel that he’d be the best man for the job.

Mitt Romney – The most interesting thing about Mitt Romney’s first name is that it is not Mitt.  Yes, Willard Mitt Romney chooses to go by his middle name of Mitt rather than Will or Bill.  While this demonstrates toughness, especially in the face of schoolyard bullies, it does bring into question his decision-making process.

Herman Cain – Cain is unelectable, for one obvious reason.  He killed his brother, Abel.

Rick Perry – He couldn’t win the Iowa Straw Poll, even with his campaign being bolstered by TV ads from Stephen Colbert’s super PAC Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.  If you can’t win with Colbert Nation pushing you along, you certainly can’t win on your own.

Rick Santorum – He’s not even the most popular Rick in the race.  If Santorum can’t strong arm Google, how can he expect to force the legislative and judicial branches to do his bidding?

Michele Bachmann – First, there’s the name.  One L in Michele or two?  One N in Bachmann or two? Easier just to vote for Ron Paul.  Whenever I hear her name, I feel the need to take the 8:15 into the city.  Four years of Taking Care of Business stuck in my head would be four years too many.

Ron Paul  – Paul was the Pennsylvania state champion in the 220 yard run in high school.  Guess what, Ron?  The race to the White House is a marathon, not a sprint.

Newt Gingrich – Seriously, he’s named after a rodent.  Maybe Gopher Tillman or Squirrel McGee can run in ’16.

Chris Christie – Christie announced that he wasn’t going to run.  It’s probably for the best.  The GOP nominee in 2012 will likely try to sell themself as having new and original ideas.  It might be difficult for a guy with basically the same first and last name to hold himself up as the bastion of creativity.  Not that he named himself, but he has the genes of his parents.  (If you were hoping for some fat jokes, you won’t get any from me.)

One thing that really jumps out at me is all the candidates with first names masquerading as last names – Perry, Paul, and Christie (and Cain, if you’re old school).  I’m not sure what to make of this odd coincidence, except that it’s likely to be tied into the End of Days.

Johnny G will move from his normal run down of sports articles this week and take a quick look at what he enjoys on Sundays and Mondays

Fantasy Football

Here is a re-cap of some of the high and lows of the Fantasy season so far.

Biggest Fantasy Bust thus far:

There are always a lot of candidates here, mostly due to injury. Anyone who drafted Peyton Manning is still hating their pre-draft listing or wishing they had one less adult beverage at draft time.

Miles Austin the #1 wideout for the Cowboys has been injured and he was sure to go high in many leagues. Matt Ryan has been underperforming from a statistical standpoint as well. Most any Philadelphia player outside Michael Vick, has their owners talking as the defense, Jeremy Maclin, Deshaun Jackson, and yes even Kicker Alex Henery have not performed up to the hype of the dream team.

Biggest Surprise thus far:

Has to be Cam Newton. Not only are the Panthers competitive, Newton has put up gigantic numbers for fantasy owners, the jury is still out as he is only four games in, but in 20+ years of fantasy football leagues I cannot remember a rookie that has had this much impactful scoring right out of the gate.

The Safety Play that has worked the best:

Hopefully you took Aaron Rodgers high in drafts, and if you did, you have been rewarded mightily. The weather is still good in Wisconsin and the Packer Scoring juggernaut is in high gear. We shall see if this trend continues if the weather starts to get colder at the frozen tundra.

Best RB thus far – There is a lot to choose from but I am taking Matt Forte from the Bears. He has exceeded all expectations of all owners and is in a contract year. He wants to be shown the money and I am confident that he will continue to put up good numbers as long as the Bears give him the ball more than 15 times a game.

Rookies to keep watching:

Julio Jones and A.J. Green. Both guys are large receivers and seem to be quickly becoming the go to targets at the wide out position of their respective teams. Mark Ingram has not shown that the Saints have a good enough line to block for him so I would be an interested “seller” if someone was looking for him.

Throw Him the Ball More ….Please!

Ok in different leagues I have both Calvin Johnson and Dez Bryant. Neither guy is remotely defendable. Would someone tell Stafford and Romo to throw them the damn ball (my best Keyshawn Johnson impersonation)

Still Sleeping….I like Daniel Thomas from the Dolphins. I think he could be poised to have a good year if he stays healthy and the fish can figure out an offensive identity. I also am encouraged by Curtis Painter as he stepped up in the Monday night game against the Bucs and will sure to have the waiver wire lighting up this week. Lastly how about Jacoby Jones with the uncertainty of Houston Texans Wideout Andre Johnson. Hamstring issues have a way of lingering, and Schaub has to throw the ball to someone.

Until next time..Stay Classy Battle Mountain Nevada

I love this time of year. The leaves are changing and the real college football games are finally on. I had the opportunity to see my Texas Longhorns open Big XII play against Iowa State. My kids and my money go to Iowa State, but my heart is still in Texas, at least for college sports. My daughter and I sat on the 10 year line row 4 on the Texas side of the field. We both wore burnt orange. I have to say that the Iowa State fans were (for the most part) very nice and polite. Sure there were a couple of annoying drunks complaining about every play, but all in all, nice.

The game was good, from my point of view. Texas was up 34-0 at half time and the game was never really in doubt (don’t forget you owe me a lunch, Kosmo). It was kind of sad when the crowd got excited about a 5 yard penalty against Texas. Nothing went right for Iowa State until late in the fourth quarter. They had a lot of penalties and several hurt players. One young man left on the golf cart after a helmet hit. Both teams and the entire crowd prayed for him as he left.

This is college football at its best. Enjoying the game, respecting both teams, and games that matter. What I mean by this is a perspective on College football. Only a few teams are “playing for the national championship” from the start of the season. The first few games are warm ups, sometimes matching two high level teams, but usually matching small against large. The real contest for most teams is to try to win their conference. With that under your belt you can consider the national championship, that is once you get your bowl game sorted out. Some teams look forward to just one specific game against a specific rival (for Texas, that is beating Oklahoma), and that can sometimes be more important than even having a winning season.

As long as I have followed College ball, opponents have worn tee-shirts emblazoned with “Beat Texas”. I have also seen “Beat OU”, “Beat State” (pretty generic actually) and “Beat N”. I guess it gets expensive to write out Oklahoma or Nebraska. This year, the Iowa State fan had shirts with “Beat Texas Again”. I liked that. It didn’t happen, but I still liked the sentiment. Since they beat Texas last year, (and really started the Texas collapse by showing the world where Texas was weak) those shirts can be worn every year from now on.

There were several great games (sorry about Nebraska Johnny) this week. There were still some tune up games (notably Oklahoma beating up on Ball State), but mostly we saw conference battles and relatively evenly matched schools. It just gets better next week. With the realignment of conferences, there will be some games that will not occur (OU or Texas vs Nebraska for the big XII championship is one), but that just provides more opportunities for really good bowl games in December and January.

I still do not understand how the rankings work. I do not see how not playing can cause you to drop in the polls or how there can be 2 loss teams still in the top 25. But that is OK. I am not a sports writer and I do not have a vote. That lets me complain about every team’s position in every poll.

Although images were scarce in the early days of American colonialism, they became more and more important as the colonies became increasingly sophisticated, both socially and economically. Printed material was necessary for the spread of money and ideas throughout the colonies, and eventually became an essential component of the idea of breaking from Britain and establishing an American nation.

Benjamin Franklin, one of the best-known “Founding Fathers” was, among his other accomplishments, a prolific printer. He was inordinately proud of this position, so much so that he wanted his epitaph to read merely, “Benjamin Franklin, printer.” Franklin learned the art of printing from his brother James, and during his lifetime published the infamous Poor Richard’s Almanac, as well as a newspaper: The Pennsylvania Gazette. It was in the latter that one of the most iconic images of the American Revolution was first published.

Benjamin Franklin, Join or Die, The Pennsylvania Gazette, 1754

This image of the snake, first published in 1754, was directed at the Albany Congress of the colonies. Seven of the thirteen original colonies met in Albany during the summer of 1754 to discuss, among other issues, Franklin’s “Albany Plan” of a union between the colonies. This plan is made quite clear through Franklin’s simple, evocative image. Franklin was one of the first people to use the image of a snake to represent the colonies, and such was the power of the image that the practice soon became widespread. In the eighteenth century, the northeastern United States was home to both the timber and eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, and Franklin first associated America with them when he suggested that if England continued sending convicts to the colonies, the colonies should send rattlesnakes to England. In addition to imparting a local flavor, the snake was a well-known sign of the motto, “Don’t Tread on Me,” a not so subtle hint to colonial enemies (which at that time, depending on diplomatic moods, could include France, England, and various Native American tribes) that not-quite-yet Americans were not to be trifled with.

In “Join or Die,” Franklin’s assertion that the colonies must band together or be destroyed is conveyed with a segmented snake – each segment marked with the initials of one of the colonies that attended the Albany Congress. The image is dramatic yet uncomplicated – easily replicated. Ease of replication would become important as more and more people began to call for the unification of the colonies. Images like Franklin’s helped the dissemination of such ideas, indeed, Paul Revere himself (also a printer!) used the image in his protest of the Stamp Act just a few years later in 1765.

Although Franklin’s Albany Plan was not passed by the Albany Congress, it went on to provide vital groundwork for the 1777 Articles of Confederation and 1787 United States Constitution. “Join or Die,” however, was arguably much more powerful than any political agenda. The simple image of the partitioned snake explained the cause of the colonies more clearly and effectively than words ever could.

In the span of about a year, I’ve gone from thinking I would never use an e-Reader to being an owner of a Kindle.  Much of this was spurred by the ease of deploying Kindle books.  I currently have 3 Kindle books listed on Amazon – perhaps it was time to take the plunge myself?

In July, I bought a Kindle.  At the time, I thought it was a second hand model.  It turns out that I was actually the third owner of the device.  It was a second generation model, but this didn’t bother me much.  The third generation models have more storage space, but if you run out of space on a Kindle, you have a serious reading problems (also, you can always delete and re-download).  Sure, the new generation had the sexy new version of e-Ink, but I decided to be economical and went the used route.

What do I like so far?

Experimental Web Browser

OK, so it’s the tail wagging the dog.  The Kindle’s browser is not going to put the iPad or Android tablets to shame.  If you have a smart phone, your experience will probably be better on your phone.  But for those of us who pass up smart phones for reasons of economy and battery life, the Kindle is a serviceable option.  Currently, Kindles that use 3G allow you to surf the web with no monthly fee.  That could change at any time, but it’s a nice fringe benefit.

The Classics are Free

I loaded the Kindle up with Dracula, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Count of Monte Cristo, and much more.  All for the price of NOTHING.  There are a couple of organization who are working to make public domain works available for Kindle.  This list will get you started, or you can go to Project Gutenberg for an easy-to-browse selection.  During this process, I came to the startling conclusion that  Daphne Du Maurier’s works are not in the public domain – for some reason, I thought she was born much earlier than she actually was.

Exclusive Content

My favorite author, Lawrence Block, began releasing short stories and novellas for bargain basement prices.  Many of these had not seen the light of day in many years, while other had been included in his omnibus Enough Rope.  He even cobbled together the after words from his books into Afterthoughts.  I’m not sure how many people would storm the doors of a store to pay $19.99 for a hardcover version of Afterthoughts, but at 99 cents, it’s hard to pass up (and Block will surely reap profits as people realize that there are several of his books they have neglected to read.

I Read More

I seem to be reading more since I bought the Kindle.  Part of that is the fact that I’m reading Block, whom I’ve always found hard to put down.  Then again, I’m reading the dead-tree edition of The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest, and I also am entranced by Stieg Larsson.  Perhaps it’s the fact that the Kindle is a one handed device, while it’s a bit awkward to read a book with one hand.

Those concerns I had about battery life?  Completely unfounded.  I probably charge once a week, just to make sure I don’t run out of battery power – but I’ve never had the Kindle below half.

What About You?

Have I sold you on the Kindle?  Swing over the Kindle Store at Amazon, where you can buy a Kindle and fill it with eBooks in time for the cold of winter.